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Empire: World History

The Scandal That Shaped Partition: Heartbreak & Secret Deals

Empire: World History

Goalhanger

History

4.55.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2026

⏱️ 8 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

**Unlock the full episode and the complete members’ miniseries by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com** How did the relationship between Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten tangibly change the course of Partition? What were the parting words that Nehru said to his love when the Viceroy and Vicereine left India? How did the relationship between these three important individuals change over the rest of their lives? In the final episode of Empire’s first members-only miniseries, Anita is joined once again by Alex Von Tunzelmann to discuss the parting of the Mountbattens and Nehru, and how the romance with Edwina changed the future of India. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

If you want access to bonus episodes reading lists for every series of Empire, a chat community.

0:06.8

Discounts for all the books mentioned in the week's podcast, add free listening and a weekly newsletter,

0:12.5

sign up to Empire Club at www.empirpoduk.com.

0:36.7

Our Empire Club miniseries reaches its dramatic finale this week in episode four of the scandal that shaped partition.

0:39.0

The first Prime Minister of India and the wife of the last viceroy have fallen in love as the horrors of partition play out around them.

0:44.9

To get a flavour of that episode, here's a clip from our discussion of Nairu's love letters to

0:49.9

Edwina Mountbatten. Just one little extract of the letters.

0:56.5

You know, so when she leaves after a trip to Shimla where Nero is at,

1:00.9

I hated seeing you drive away this morning.

1:02.8

You've left me with a strange sense of peace and happiness.

1:05.5

Perhaps I brought you the same.

1:07.3

Life is a dreary business.

1:08.8

And when a bright patch comes, it rather takes one's breath away.

1:12.3

I mean, my God, if someone wrote that to you. That is a letter, a very intimate letter.

1:17.3

Intimate and loving. I mean, it's a loving letter. Yes, it is. And quite exposing as well.

1:22.1

I mean, quite extraordinary. So they were writing these letters to each other. Most of them we can't

1:26.5

look at. Most of them...

1:28.2

That's because, is it, Pamela is still alive?

1:31.6

Or it is...

1:33.5

The Mountbatten's daughter?

1:34.5

Yes, the Mountbatten's daughter.

1:36.2

And she has actually quite...

...

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